Humorous and insightful commentary about art and life in general. Exhibition reviews, explorations on creativity and essays about stuff that happens to all of us in everyday life.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Diamonds should be everybody’s best friend.

I saw Carole Channing on TV a few weeks ago and then a drag queen impersonator of her just a few days ago. Her signature song, “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” came to mind and I got to thinking about how symbolic those hunks of pressurized carbon can be to some people. Fortunately for my husband, I am not one of those ladies who covet them. Diamonds came to mind again during the recent bout of sunshine on snow, one of the nicer aspects of life in the Midwest, when the piles of chunky rain shimmer and glisten so much that one has to dig out the dusty sunglasses from the bowels of the personal dumpster (known as my car).

Since my mind tends to wander aimlessly down the dendrites in the process known as “creativity” (which is much better than insanity though many consider them one and the same at times), I got to thinking about those four C’s related to the purchase of a diamond. I could only remember three and had to hit the internet to recall the fourth one, which are color, cut, clarity and carat weight. Standing in my daily prayer spot, where I always pause a few moments on my way to find the newspapers each morning, it hit me (not the paper, the idea) that those qualities should apply to all of us and become our best friends in how we live each day.

First and foremost is Clarity. We should ask for the gift of clarity in our evaluation of people, situations, information, and all other areas where decisions are made and opinions formed. To think and see clearly are not easy. It takes strength to find a vision and stick with it. (I had an eye exam the other day and I hate those…A or B? which is better? A or B? A….. B….grrrrr….excuse me, could you point out the chart first, I am blind as the proverbial bat here sweetie.) Sorry, detour on the dendrite there once again. Clarity of mind, clarity of soul, clarity of direction, clarity of goals, I could keep going but let’s be clear about this, the point is to know what is right and what is wrong and believe in your convictions.

Cut, the gift to realize what we should keep, be it people or stuff in our lives, and what we need to get rid of in order to have more clarity. There are lots of roadblocks on the way to cutting things out of our lives. We can’t save everything unless one wants to star on Hoarders and we can’t maintain every friendship to the same level so letting go is a valuable asset to keep.

Color is a bonus. Not color like “art” colors, although having the guts to paint one’s laundry room bubble gum pink is pretty good, but color as in having a rich and varied existence. The gift of guts to try new things, go to unfamiliar places (even if they aren’t open), meet new people, and take chances without fear of failure are all experiences that add color to our lives. For artists, these “colors” are what make our creativity work. Without a source of ideas and inspiration, we would all be like Barnett Newman (Google moment for everybody, a chance to add some color to your life….).

Finally is carat weight. Okay, this one is bit of a stretch, but to have the clarity to know what is valuable and what is not, what should hold weight in our lives and what needs to be tossed. Weight is roughly translatable to value or to importance. What may hold weight today could float away tomorrow. We should ask for the gift of balance so we know what is worth being added to our shoulders and what needs to be left on the side of the road. (or the end of the driveway, or in our case, up by the house because my neighborhood does not acknowledge that we have garbage cans……ruins our image to think we might be a bit trashy.) Oops, another detour. Perhaps I should hop on the axon expressway and try another route through the brain maze. To be literal, a few carrots each day are a good idea too since they help your eyes and qualify as an orange or yellow veggie on the food chart. I eat a lot of carrots and still can’t find the dang big E.

So go out and get yourself a big old diamond today and wear it proudly! (and eat a few carrots).

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About Me

I have been a working artist for over 35 years. My paintings have been included in shows all across the United States as well as in solo exhibitions. Visit my gallery site (www.judikrew.com) for more information and a look at some of my acrylic paintings, pastel drawings and hoard couture dresses. I have a BFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Akron Honors Program and an MA in Art Education from Case Western Reserve University.